Martian atmospheric disturbances from orbital images and surface pressure at Jezero Crater, Mars, during Martian Year 36

TL;DR

This study analyzes atmospheric disturbances at Jezero Crater on Mars during MY36 and MY37 using surface pressure data and orbital images, revealing the influence of dust storms, thermal tides, and cyclonic vortices.

Contribution

It combines ground-based pressure measurements with orbital imagery to characterize atmospheric phenomena and their seasonal evolution on Mars, linking dust activity with pressure oscillations.

Findings

Thermal tides show seasonal amplitude and phase variations related to dust content.

Dust storms increase pressure oscillation amplitudes but invert phase responses.

Baroclinic disturbances with 2-4 sol periods dominate pressure oscillations.

Abstract

We present a study of atmospheric disturbances at Jezero Crater, Mars, using ground-based measurements of surface pressure by the Perseverance rover in combination with orbital images from the Mars Express and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter missions. The study starts at Ls $\sim$ 13.3{\deg} in MY36 (March 6th, 2021) and extends up to Ls $\sim$ 30.3{\deg} in MY37 (February 28th, 2023). We focus on the characterization of the major atmospheric phenomena at synoptic and planetary-scales. These are the thermal tides (measured up to the sixth component), long-period pressure oscillations (periods > 1 sol), the Aphelion Cloud Belt, and the occasional development of regional dust storms over Jezero. We present the seasonal evolution of the amplitudes and phases of the thermal tides and their relation with the atmospheric dust content (optical depth). Three regional dust storms and one polar storm extending over Jezero produced an increase in the diurnal and semidiurnal amplitudes but resulted in inverse responses in their phases. We show that the primary regular wave activity is due to baroclinic disturbances with periods of 2-4 sols and amplitudes $\sim$ 1-15 Pa increasing with dust content, in good agreement with theoretical predictions by model calculations. The spacecraft images show a number of arc-shaped, spiral and irregular cyclonic vortices, traced by dust and clouds at the edge of the North Polar Cap, that could be behind some of the pressure oscillations measured at Jezero.